Those with lower extremity disabilities often have difficulty moving from one location to another. Oftentimes these people are confined to a wheelchair and require assistance to transfer from the wheelchair to a bed, a tub, or a toilet. The transfer to a toilet may be so difficult for some, that rather than assist the disabled individual to a normal position on the toilet, it is easier for the caregiver to deal with a bedpan. This is just one of the major indignities associated with becoming disabled.
There are numerous devices available to assist individuals with reduced mobility to use the toilet. For the most part, these devices raise and lower the toilet seat to assist the individual in moving from a standing position to a sitting position and back again. However, these devices do not assist the disabled individual who no longer can stand or walk.
Presently, transfer boards can be used to assist in transferring such disabled persons to a toilet. These boards relieve some of the burden on the caregivers by eliminating the need to lift and carry the patient from the wheelchair to the toilet. One end of a transfer board is typically placed under the buttocks of the patient on the wheelchair while the other end is placed on top of a toilet seat. The caregiver then drags the patient across the board. The caregiver then lifts the patient up, removes the board, and places the patient on the toilet seat.
This transfer process has been eased considerably with the invention of a sliding transfer device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,284 to Brantman, Feb. 1, 1994, discloses a transfer device that allows the patient, even heavy patients, to slide with relative ease from one body support to another body support. Nevertheless, the transfer to a toilet is still somewhat difficult because of the limited space and crowded areas where toilets are usually located. Even with a sliding transfer device, the caregiver must lift the patient and temporarily shift them in order to remove the transfer device. This lifting and shifting is frequently so difficult and uncomfortable for both the patient and the caregiver that the transfer is not even attempted. Typically, the greatest difficulty is found with the disabled in home situations where the spouse, who is often elderly, is the caregiver. The caregiver and patient must resort to using a bed pan, which is a non-private and undignified experience.
Therefore, there is a need for a toilet seat that may readily accommodate a transfer device. Also, there is a need for a toilet seat that permits the patient to be positioned on the seat and the transfer device easily to be removed without the strain on both the patient and caregiver associated with lifting the patient off of the transfer device. Also, there is a need for a version of such a specially adapted toilet seat to be portable so that it may be used along with portable transfer devices in public facilities. These and other needs are solved by the sectional toilet seat described below.